Contents

About the course

The School Direct programme is a one-year, Postgraduate route into teaching that allows you to graduate with 1) a wealth of classroom experience, 2) a full PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education), and 3) Qualified Teacher Status.

The School Direct programme is open to domestic and international students. Please note Visa sponsorship is possible but not guaranteed for international candidates.

School Direct differs from University based PGCE in that you apply to the teaching school through UCAS and you will be told which school you will be based in. This allows you to ensure that you can organise travel arrangements, childcare and other commitments you may have alongside studying for the PGCE. You will still obtain a PGCE qualification at the end. In addition because it is school based it means that you will be in school from day one, so when staff return in September you join them at the staff INSET, which allows you to see how class teachers set out their lesson plans and routines for their new classes.

Your training is managed by TESLA and delivered in collaboration with our partner Universities. This ensures you have a trio of support, from your school mentor, TESLA professional tutor and University link tutor. Currently this comprises of 15 days of alliance-based training where each Thursday you travel to a different school within the alliance for a different training theme. You are then also released to attend University days where you are often taught alongside their PGCE. Please be aware that each University has different set ups, lecture timetables and course end dates. If you are unsure about this and the travel commitment involved please ensure that, you ask about this on School Experience or Interview.

For more information regarding the School Direct programme, click here

Interview process

How We Select Our Trainees

Key information and main stages of processing

1.Apply through the UCAS site. Recruitment for Secondary applications will be on-going until we fill our allocated places.

If you have applied please let us know by contacting us and registering your interest by email and attach a copy of your Curriculum Vitae. Please address the email to: vsands@bohunt.hants.sch.uk

As this is a centralised system candidates are likely to be notified in a variety of ways. First through the UCAS site itself that your application has been sent. Then all applicants will receive an email and/or letter from the school notifying you that your application is being processed.

At this point it is likely that shortly after receiving your application you will be: invited in for school experience within a partnership school, invited for interview and school experience or rejected. If you would like to contact us in the meantime for school experience please do not hesitate to do so.

Short-listed candidates will be invited by email to attend a selection day comprising an interview, teaching activity and evaluation task to assess your suitability for, and commitment to, the teaching profession.

In the majority of cases, candidates are then invited for a second interview at the University with their professional mentors and course leaders. This is usually when a University are not able to attend the initial interview. It is then a decision between both the School and University to offer a training position.

How school placements work

You will spend the majority of the time at your main placement school from September, with training sessions delivered by TESLA on Thursdays and the partner University for your subject. University sessions differ between providers. Some have training every Friday, others blocks of a week or more. So please ask at Interview.

There is an expectation that you will attend the September or August INSET alongside school staff so please be advised to check the dates that you need to start when booking summer holidays. In addition there is an Induction date in July.

You will also have a second placement usually in February-March, before returning to your main placement school to finish your training.

The School Direct programme gives you a much greater say in where your training is based. Whilst we can never guarantee a placement before interview, we can guarantee you will be placed within our partner schools and that the earlier you apply the more likely you are to be placed in a school of your choice.

Where there is limited vacancies – you list your three preferred schools within our alliance and you will be placed at one of these schools.

To find out more about our partner schools (secondary and primary), you can click here

Fees

The course fees for 2019/2020 are as follows:

Student type

Fees to pay

UK students

£9,250

EU students

£9,250

International students

£15,000

The course fees for domestic/international students for our School Direct (non-salaried) programme are in line with our partner Universities. Please see University websites for further details.

Please be aware that International student’s fees are different and are not always eligible for Bursary support. This means it is likely that your training course will be self-funded. In terms of bursaries it is your responsibility to check what you are entitled to based on your qualifications you have. Alternatively, there is a salaried route, please enquire if this is available for your subject/school.

Financial support

You’ll get a bursary of £9,000 if you have a degree of 2:2 or above in any subject.

You don’t have to apply for a bursary - you’ll automatically start receiving it once you begin your course. Find out how you’ll be paid.

These requirements will be a conditional part of any offer and must be met before training starts.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure they check the qualification requirements.

About the training provider

TESLA Teaching School Alliance

TESLA Teaching School Alliance is a partnership of educators who are striving to achieve exceptional education for all by removing barriers to learning, challenging established pedagogy and raising aspirations.

Our alliance is led by Bohunt School (rated Outstanding in all categories by Ofsted in 2013 and awarded ‘Overall School of the Year’ by the Times in 2014), in close partnership with Camelsdale Primary School and schools across the South of England.

We have a long experience of providing outstanding teacher training in Primary and Secondary, and we are different to other Teaching Schools because we collaborate with several Universities including Chichester, Sussex, Winchester, Portsmouth, Goldsmiths and St Mary’s. This allows us to offer applicants greater flexibility and choice because it allows them to apply to their local University and where possible hosted in a school within travelling distance.

Our vision is to get the right people into teaching we know that the more we invest in you the better we can improve the life chances of children and learning experiences at school. If this sounds like you then we’d love to hear from you.